Moot court teams vie for national championship

UHLC hosts annual Andrews Kurth tourney and environmental symposium.

Jan. 13, 2012 -- The nation’s top law school moot court team will be crowned later this month when the University of Houston Law Center hosts the 2012 Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship.

In conjunction with the tournament, the Law Center also is sponsoring a symposium -- “Criminal Enforcement of Environmental Laws: What is the Current Climate?” -- with a panel of distinguished environmental attorneys.

Sixteen advocacy teams earned their way to the Championship competition by achieving outstanding results in major moot court tournaments. These “best of the best” teams will be competing here Jan. 25-28 for the uncontested national crown. Previous winners are the University of Detroit – Mercy, John Marshall Law School, and Mississippi College School of Law.

“In a short time, the Championship has developed into one of the most prestigious moot court competitions in the nation,” said Jim Lawrence, director of the Law Center’s Blakely Advocacy Institute. “The collaboration between Andrews Kurth, Law Center alumni, and Law Center faculty has provided tremendous synergy for accelerating the Championship’s growth.”

This year’s problem involves criminal charges of negligence and jury tampering stemming from an industrial accident in which toxic chemicals were spilled into a river in violation of the Clean Water Act. The tournament will be held at the Bob Casey Federal Courthouse, 515 Rusk in downtown Houston. State and federal judges will serve as guest judges.

The symposium will be moderated by UH Law Center Professor Tracy Hester, director of the Environment, Energy & Natural Resource Center. Panelists are Charles A. De Monaco of Fox Rothschild LLP in Pittsburg, PA., Joseph G. Block of Venable LLP in Washington, D.C., and George O. Wilkinson, Jr., of Vinson & Elkins LLP in Houston.

The symposium will be held on Thursday, Jan. 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel, 400 Dallas in downtown Houston. Attendees earn 4 ethics hours of CLE credit. Cost is $75 for CLE registrants.

The tournament and symposium are hosted by the Law Center’s Blakely Advocacy Institute and Environment, Energy & Natural Resource Center. The tournament is sponsored by Andrews Kurth LLP.